


Exothermic

by dumbasscorn



Category: Bella Swan - Fandom, Twilight (Movies), Twilight Series - All Media Types, Twilight Series - Stephenie Meyer, edward cullen - Fandom, jacob black - Fandom, paul lahote - Fandom, the cullens - Fandom
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-03
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-14 15:21:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 6,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29173341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dumbasscorn/pseuds/dumbasscorn
Summary: Amalthea Rue Swan's life never was the easiest. Finding her mothers dead body at a young age and discovering a hiker located her fathers battered remains surely did solidify that feat. It seemed that wherever Amalthea went, destruction was not far behind.paul lahote x oc
Relationships: Bella Swan/Original Character(s), Paul Lahote/Original Character(s), Paul Lahote/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 5
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

ᴘʀᴏʟᴏɢᴜᴇ 

═ ∘♡༉∘ ═

Amalthea Rue Swan had only ever known chaos. There was nothing remotely relaxed about her life. She had sworn up and down that one day she would make a movie out of it. Her trauma would rue the world! Hell, maybe she'd even write a book of her awfully unlucky life if she felt like it.

Her mother, Estrella Jones, was considered a perfect person in every way you could possibly imagine. She was beyond beautiful, gaining the attention of all. Her aristocratic features rose the eyes of all, from her pointed nose to her small feet. Blemishes were a feat unknown to her, cheeks being in a constant state of perfectly flushed. Her milky skin highlighted the constant twinkle in her brown eyes. Eyes that look as if they're freshly watered soil on a hot summer day. Now, her disposition was what brought everybody in. There was nothing put-offish about Estrella, it was hard to feel discomfort around the woman.

Meeting Estrella was like sipping a hot chocolate topped with whipped cream on a winter morning so cold that ice trails up the corners of the window pane-- it was as if you were coming in contact with the epitome of euphoria. Those who knew Estrella all thought of her as the happiest person in the world. Not one person would look at the woman and see darkness; she was a ball of light! Nobody could simply hate Estrella.

That being said, it was quite the shock to everybody when a young Amalthea ran from her mothers room screaming bloody murder, blubbering something about "mommy swinging from the rope in the closet!" and not responding to her oh-so-important question about which cookie she should have after dinner!

Amalthea never was supposed to experience such grief at the ripe age of six years old.

She never was supposed to end her first day of first grade by being called down to the office, just to be told her newly-widowed father was in trouble for being drunk and disorderly- which apparently meant he was being a naughty boy!- and that she had to go with Child Protective Services for some time. She never was supposed to deal with the fear that she would be staying with strangers-- that she might not see her daddy again, just like she never saw mommy again.

She never was supposed to have to deal with her fathers alcoholic tendencies reflecting back on her.

She never was supposed to discover her father had been inebriated and driving his way to the grocery store, just to lose control and fly into a ditch, found dead on impact.

She never was supposed to see that he seemed to be drained of his blood, pale skin highlighting the teeth marks some animal had made on him.

She never was supposed to be an orphan. She never was supposed to be forced to live with her estranged uncle and awkwardly silent cousin, having to start a completely new life in a town named after a goddamn utensil. 

Amalthea most definitely was never supposed to find out everything she thought she knew was a lie-- that everything was just bullshit from the time her dad died to the entirety of her stay in Fork, Washington. 

That life truly was not yet finished kicking her in the ass. 

She was pissed.


	2. one - amalthea vs the apparent murder

Amalthea had no idea on what the hell to do, let alone how to feel. Everything fell apart right before her eyes. She was furious.

Anger has been a constant for the noirette for too long. It feels like it is the only emotion that she can distinguish. Sometimes- when things get really bad- she lays awake at night with salty tears running down the temples of her head, collecting on her stiff pillow.

Money was always hard to come by when you had a functioning alcoholic for a father and a dead mom. It was rare to come across petty cash when you could barely afford the bills that keep a home running. Although the money flow was staggered, and has been since her mother's untimely suicide, Amalthea refused to admit defeat for her dad. Amalthea spent so much time at her attempts of being optimistic with her father, she never realized it was crushing her on the inside as bad as it was. She thought she had a lid on top of all of her problems. 

When the lone hiker found the emaciated corpse of Joshua Swan, Amalthea finally let the waves come crushing in. The pain was unbearable. 

Amalthea most certainly was aware of her father's habits of driving after having a few beers. She fought him constantly on it, but the conversation went nowhere except for Amalthea crying into her pillow in the middle of the night and relenting her fight. 

That is why terror struck her when she opened the door to the cop who looked about ready to give her his condolences. She knew immediately. Something went terribly wrong. She warned him of the ice, letting the thought of his inebriation slip to the back of her mind. The cop stared at the grief stricken girl, telling her that her fathers remains are only just a block away.

That was all Amalthea needed to hear. She nudged her way past the cop, bare feet slamming across the pavement, sprinting to where she saw the flashing lights of red and blue.

It felt like the world went into slow motion. She pushed the coroner to the side, ears buzzing so loud it felt like she would never hear a voice again. She didn't comprehend the warnings that were being yelled at her. The young girl could not recall much about how she got to where she was, but she surely remembers seeing her fathers dead body half covered by a tarp.

She'll never forget how his body looked sunken in, as if every droplet of his blood had vanished the second his life slipped from his eyes.

There was no way this was right. No body should look like that, dead or alive. She'll forever remember the two holes she spotted on the skin that covered his jugular. It looked like something bit into him and sucked him dry.

What the fuck happened to him? No freak accident could have caused that.

Amalthea spent countless hours curled in a ball, heaving with sobs of utter devastation. How could this have happened? She had spoken to him as he was going to leave, he promised to not get hurt.

Her mother left her at such a young age, why did the universe have to steal her father away from her too? 

What the fuck were the marks from? What happened to her father?

Information was hidden from her, the coroners office gave her dirt to work with. His accident wasn't even being investigated! The police looked at his arrest records and decided he must have just been drunk and driving-- that he just didn't get lucky this time, lost his life and made his daughter an orphan. His beloved daughter was livid.

She never thought she would ever be capable of happiness again, the anger was constant.

Complete and utter rage swarmed in her stomach every hour of the day, like a nest of pissed off hornets.

Why must everybody she loves die? Why does everybody refuse to investigate her fathers murder? Everything was bullshit!


	3. two - amalthea vs the awkward car ride

The music was so loud it was shaking Amalthea's eardrums. Her brain felt like it was vibrating from the drums of her favorite song. The headphones connected to her phone kept the social worker from attempting conversation. They slipped in her ears the second she shut the car door to be taken to some strangers house. 

Now, this stranger was never supposed to be a stranger to the girl. In fact, as a baby she wiggled her way into Charlie Swan's heart once she cuddled up to him. As a small child, she would get away with anything when the man was around her. Joshua Swan often referred to the young girl as her Uncle Charlie's sidekick when they were together. 

Those two found themselves attached at the hip from the very start. Well, they were. Things took quite the turn when Amalthea turned four. Estrella and Joshua had decided that they needed new scenery. The two prided themselves on wanting to raise their daughter in every state in America. It seemed this was going to be just the beginning of their journey. 

That being said, the small family packed up and moved to Nebraska for a fresh start. That had obviously been a shit show. Both of Amalthea's parents ended up dead and now she is being told she'll be staying at her uncles house, with his daughter, in the state of Washington where the precipitation was never ending. 

The young teens deep brown eyes followed the trails of rain down the cars window and catching at the bottom of it. The cloudy sky and downpour had fit the mood Amalthea found herself in most days. She took a peek at the navigation system the social worker was using, noticing they only had 10 minutes until she'd have to be reunited with her estranged uncle. 

God, that is going to be so awkward. What the hell was she going to say? 

"Uh.. Hey man! Long time no see! Sorry to barge in, but my both my parents croaked and they say you're the only family I've got left! So now I'm here! Hope you love sleep deprived, angry teenagers!" 

Now, seeing as she did not have any, it was not very hard for Amalthea to break the news of her move to her friends. Most people distanced themselves from her. Growing up was difficult for the girl, she practically searched for ways to act out as a child. 

She only settled in high school because her father seemed to need her to. The lack of money they had would lead her to secure a job at a run down convenience store when she was 15. It was under the counter so the hours were long and the pay was shit, but the job payed for their groceries every month and that's all that mattered. 

She felt the car slow down to a stop and a tap on her left shoulder. She looked up to see a driveway that held two cars- a rusty burnt orange truck and a cop car- leading up to a small white house. The social worker, who looked to be completely done with Amalthea's pessimism, pointed at her right ear as to signal that it was time to stop the music-- which happened to be the only thing keeping her from losing her mind, thank you very much! 

Amalthea rolled her eyes and reluctantly paused the rock music that blared through her head. 

"Hope you know I'm miserable now. I know that's like your job or whatever, so good job!-- you've succeeded." 

Catherine, the southern middle aged woman who just wanted to drop the angry child off already, clenched her jaw at Amalthea. 

"We're here. It's gettin' late so I think it'd be best if you get in there now, rather than them fall asleep before you can even get to knockin'." 

Amalthea took a long look at the house that she would call home soon enough. Anxiousness tingled in the pit of her stomach. Before she could talk herself into another anxiety attack, the ebony haired girl unbuckled her seat belt and opened the car door. 

"Might as well rid you, dear Catherine!, of myself already..." Amalthea dramatically huffed, walking to the trunk to retrieve the two suitcases that held the belongings she couldn't bare to part with, "I just know you'll miss me dearly." The girl smirked at the frustrated woman.


	4. three - amalthea vs the reunion

Charlie Swan was extremely excited to be reunited with his niece. He hadn't seen her in years, of course he sits in anticipation as his foot bounces his leg up and down! The older man spent many nights awake worrying about the teen, there's no way she was feeling okay right now. Hell, Charlie wasn't okay and he hadn't seen his brother in years. 

The aching of losing a brother, he believes, would never subside. The pain would be there forever. But, seeing his brothers daughter will definitely ease his worries about her. Charlie wanted to break down in tears whenever he finds himself thinking about everything Amalthea had been through. Losing both parents, being taken away and moved to another state has got to be tough for a teenage girl. 

He knows first hand what it's like dealing with a depressed teen; his own daughter had been barricading herself in her room, wallowing in sorrow for months now. The nightmares Bella Swan had been experiencing keeps Charlie up and filled with concern. 

He already knows Amalthea has a habit of shutting down, avoiding any and all emotion whenever possible. He knows so, because he was the same at her age. Ignoring all of his problems, pretending everything was perfectly fine. Well, that was until his wife left him and took their only daughter! 

Charlie Swan's head snapped toward the entryway when he heard the front door being knocked on, the baseball game's commentary fading out. Charlie placed his can of soda aside, heaving his body off the recliner to make his way toward the knocking. 

Amalthea, beginning to go pale with nerves, picks at the holes in her jeans as she stood next to the social worker. She couldn't stand still and it was irritating her very much. Jesus Christ Amalthea, stop fidgeting! You can always tell him where to shove it if he turns out to be a dick! 

A breath caught in her throat when the door began to open, dark eyes finding her uncles for the first time in years. Charlie Swan immediately broke out into a wide smile, eyes sparkling with happiness. 

"Gee kid, you really sprouted up since you were a little one." Charlie spoke with raised eyebrows as he made a gesture for the woman and teen to walk inside the threshold to his house. 

Amalthea grinned mischievously for the first time in months, the man felt so familiar she couldn't control it. "Well Uncle Charlie, that does indeed happen when you graduate to being an angsty teen! I see you've accepted the gray hairs for all they'll give you, hm?" 

Charlie Swan threw his head back in laughter, "I see someone has gotten their dads humor that he stole from me!" The teen winked at the man in response. 

"Now Mr. Swan, I do have some paper work to go over with you before I head out. Maybe you'd like to show your niece where she'll be staying before that though, yeah?" Catherine butted in, ruffling through the files she brought along with her. 

Charlie nodded along and grabbed Amalthea's suitcase, "C'mon Thea, your room is upstairs." 

Amalthea's eyes widened at the use of the nickname, memories of her father's last words to her at the forefront of her mind. Tears nearly filled her eyes before the girl shook her head to clear the thoughts and followed her uncle up the steps with a duffle bag in hand, not looking back at the social worker once. 

Footsteps creaked against the old wooden floor as the uncle and his niece took a left from the staircase, "Now I've gotta warn you, this room was my old office. I cleared it out when I heard you'd be coming. Sorry that it's small." He gave Amalthea a pitiful smile, "But you can paint it, move things around, do whatever you want-- it doesn't matter to me, it's yours now. Oh- and the bedding is from when Bella used to visit, so if you hate it you can tell me and I'll give you some money for a new one." 

The raven haired girl listened to her uncle, gratitude obvious in her eyes. "I'm sure it's fine, Uncle Charlie. I'd sleep on the floor and be okay with it." She snorted a laugh. 

Charlie pointed out where the bathroom was before opening the door to Amalthea's new bedroom. The abandoned office that would be her new refuge. The room was a decent size, not too small and most definitely not too big. It seemed to be just right. There was two windows that were covered by white sheer curtains, a green checkered duvet laying on top of the twin sized bed. 

"I like it, I like it a lot Uncle Charlie. I think I'll paint the walls a different shade-- not really vibing with the puke colored green, no offense!-- but everything else is pretty perfect if I do say so myself. Also, the bedding is dope. Don't know what you were talking about with that one!" 

The uncle looked quite proud of himself, "Well kiddo I gotta go deal with Catherine. Make yourself at home, unpack if you feel like it. I have pizza downstairs if you're hungry. We can talk tomorrow about school and stuff, alright?" 

Amalthea nodded and Charlie smiled at her before he walked out of the room, shutting the door as he did so. 

The ravenette looked around the room some more, discovering that she had the perfect spot to set up her paint supplies. She broke out in a smile as she sat on the bed; maybe this whole living with a stranger thing could work. Maybe, just maybe, she won't be completely miserable while she's here. 

The freshly turned seventeen year old threw her back to the bed, huffing a much needed sigh, "If things go to shit I swear to god."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't stop writing so you all get a longer chapter today. Hope you enjoyed!


	5. four - amalthea vs the boring talk

Things in the Swan household were much different compared to living with Joshua Swan. The dynamic was different, very different. You were able to walk without seeing a beer bottle on the counter. The light switches worked on the first try. You did not have to slam your fist on the washer for it to begin its cycle. You could shower without having the water be near freezing. 

Yes, things were different. Amalthea felt weird having things be easier. 

It was quite the shock when the ebony-haired teen didn't wake up shivering from being so cold, her fingertips weren't turning blue for the first time in a while. Joshua and his daughter could only save enough money to have heat and warm water maybe twice a year. The two were accustomed to the cold, so they usually spent the money on more useful things like beer and books. 

Charlie Swan had decided to take the day off to spend with his niece. Not a soul walked through the police station without hearing about the arrival of one Amalthea Rue Swan. The entire staff of the diner had even heard about the young girl! Therefore, nobody questioned why Charlie decided to take a personal day for the first time in years. 

Bella Swan on the other hand fought to feel anything anymore. Days passed by being utterly bland. She felt like nothing. Everything was surrounded by painful memories. Sleep couldn't even be used as an escape. It was invaded by nightmares that began to plague the brunette once her boyfriend- ex boyfriend now- left her stranded in the woods. Talking even seemed to be too much to handle. Being happy or feeling anticipation was halted for so long that Bella thought she may never feel either emotion again. 

Amalthea woke up disorientated, the bad dream that ran through her mind as she slept led to hear waking up panicked and in a sweat. God, she felt like ass. 

Catching the breath that escaped her lungs when she startled awake, Amalthea made her way to the bathroom to splash water on her face. Turning the knob upward, water spurted out of the shiny faucet. Bringing two hands to cup the water, the teen felt relief fall on her shoulders as the ice cold water began to slow her fast paced heartbeat. 

Drying her damp face with a towel, Amalthea decided to head downstairs to see if Charlie had awoken yet. 

Seeing the brown haired man, Amalthea rubbed her left eye and spoke softly, "Good morning, Uncle Charlie."

Charlie twirled the top half of his body away from the brewing coffee to face his tired niece, "Good morning, Thea! How'd the first night sleeping go?" 

Amalthea decided she liked when he called her that nickname, so she responded with a weak thumbs up and grabbed the box of Cheerios that was calling her name. Charlie opened the cabinet to get a bowl and spoon out, handing them to the teen. Thea nodded in thanks, pouring the cereal into the bowl and topping it off with milk she found in the fridge. 

Taking a seat at the dining room table, Amalthea spooned the first bit of cereal into her mouth. 

"After you finish eating we can talk about school and all that boring stuff." 

Thea looked at the man in disscontempt, "Yeah, yeah. I know, so boring! It'll take a couple minutes and I'll take you to get paint after." 

Thea gave her uncle a rock-and-roll symbol as a sign of agreement. Charlie watched her do so in amusement, her silence in the morning and use of hand signals reminding him deeply of his deceased brother. 

Slowly slurping the remainder of the milk in the bowl, Amalthea stood to wash the dishes she used. Quickly doing so, she fell back into her chair and sighed, looking in her uncle's eyes. He snorted, "Don't look so excited there, Thea."

The girl slowly blinked, unimpressed. Charlie took the hint and began talking. 

"Okay for starters, you'll start school on Monday-- which is good since it's only Saturday now-- and Bella will give you a ride there. She knows you're here, but she's going through some, uh- things right now. Oh hey- maybe she can introduce you to Jacob! He's your age, lives on the reservation, they've been hanging out a bunch lately-- good kid. 

"Anyway, I thought it'd be good if she took you. It might be embarrassing to have your uncle taking you to school in a cop car-- yeah no it definitely would be. Back on track, we can get some notebooks for you today when we pick up the paint and whatever else you might need."

"Done?" Amalthea picked her head up off of her arms. 

Charlie grinned widely, "Yep!" 

"Yeah I totally thought that was gonna last forever. Kinda surprised you didn't even mention any rules. Also, I'm definitely gonna need all the gossip on the famous Bella Swan. You've got me all intrigued now, man." 

Charlie chuckled, "Rules totally slipped, let's stick with--" 

Amalthea butted in, "Tut-tut! Nope! None were mentioned, none gonna be followed. Sorry Uncle Charles, that's just how the cookie crumbles!" The teen giggled at Charlie's unamused face, moving to go upstairs. 

"I'm gonna go get ready, hope you're down to take me shopping for paint now cause I really wanna paint today." 

Charlie sighed and shook his head defeated, "Yeah, okay-- be ready in, what do ya say, 20 minutes?" 

Thea hummed a mhm! and ran up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you like the relationship Charlie and Thea have currently? I know you haven't seen much of it but I'm excited to show more of it! It will be adorable.


	6. five - amalthea vs bella swan

The freshly painted beige room holding Amalthea Swan was completely silent as the night turned into morn, where birds chirped and when a blood curdling scream erupted from Bella Swan's throat across the hall. Thea was ripped out of her own nightmare when the pleads for help seeped into her room. Charlie's stomps of frantic feet rushed into Bella's room, shaking his daughter awake to soothe her thoughts yet again. 

Holy shit my brain feels like it's being stabbed Amalthea thought, a headache already brewing behind her eyes. She could almost cry, she was so unbelievably tired. 

Her cousin Bella, who seemed to avoid Thea like the plague the night before when Charlie and the teen painted her new room, had night terrors that resurfaced recently. 

When they were purchasing paint at the market, Charlie told his niece that his daughters ex boyfriend abandoned her in a forest - which was freezing, Charlie made sure to clarify -, how she spent months holed up in her room with depression, eventually working up the courage to hang out with friends again, became besties with some guy from the reservation, and how now since the dude is sick she got all... bad again. 

Uncle Charlie made his distaste for the Cullen boy very obvious. 

Amalthea decided she was not going to be able to rest any longer when she heard Charlie comforting his daughter. Throwing the warm blanket off her body, she slipped out of her oh-so-comfortably cushioned bed. Deciding she wasn't quite yet ready to release her amazing duvet, the girl wrapped it around herself, similar to how one wraps a burrito, and opened her bedroom door. 

Saluting Uncle Charlie, who gave a pitiful grin, she walked down the stairs to retrieve the coffee her body craved. Drinking the coffee black-- which was a genetic Swan trait at this point--, she picked up the ripe banana laying in the vibrant fruit bowl. 

Spacing out as she finished the food and coffee, Thea threw out the waste and slowly walked back up the steps, with the mug of coffee still in hand. 

Settling on the idea that it'd be best to brush her teeth before Bella decided to hog the bathroom, Thea entered the windowless room. After making her mouth clean from sleep grossness, the teen thought she should be dressed and meet her cousin before the girl ended up accidentally forgetting to take her along to school. 

Choosing a simple outfit that consisted of a color scheme of black and dark blue, she threw on a pair of combat boots and brushed out her hair. Makeup always depended on what the girl thought matched her personality that day. This resulted in some shakily applied eyeliner, due to being drained already. 

Slugging back down the creaking stairs, book bag slung over one shoulder, Thea fell into the dining room chair she claimed as hers Saturday morning. 

"Nervous for your first day?" 

Thea looked at her uncle with puppy dog eyes and pouted lips, silently pleading for him to let her stay home one more day. 

"Nope-- no! God, stop it with the eyes! You're gonna make me cave, stop it! I'm closing my eyes now, I'm not looking at you so don't even try it!" Thea snorted when seeing her uncle with his hand over his eyes, shaking his head. 

"Chill, Uncle Charlie!" Amalthea smirked at her uncle, who peeked through his fingers, "Honestly, I was gonna do it again but I'm brilliant and thought of something super smart. I'll go and pretend to want to be there if, and only if, we get Chinese food for dinner tonight!" 

Charlie squinted his eyes and rose his right eyebrow in doubt. That was all it took? 

"Really?"

"Mhm!" Thea sharply nodded one time. 

Charlie relented quickly, nodding dramatically with wide eyes. "Deal!" 

Shaking hands in agreement, the duo of uncle and niece were looking each other in the eyes when they could not hold it in anymore. 

Laughter filled the kitchen when Bella Swan walked in, fully dressed and ready to drive her cousin to school. 

Eyebrows creasing in confusion, having never seen Charlie so giggly, Bella took a granola bar out of the cabinet. 

Charlie noticed his daughter once the tears that clouded his eyes cleared up, "Bells, this is Amalthea. You two never really got to grow up together, your mom left before Thea here could even move on her own. But now is a good time-- Thea meet Bella!" Charlie began to sober up, laughter still in his voice. 

Amalthea gave Bella finger guns, clicking her tongue, "Sup!".

Her cousin gave a tight grin, "You ready now? I want a good parking spot." 

Bobbing her head up and down slowly, short hair falling in her face, Thea made a quick excuse of needing to go to the bathroom to check her makeup. 

Bella walked out to the truck, not noticing Thea never went to the bathroom and instead walked incredibly slow toward the entryway. 

"Dude, if this is awkward I'm beating you up!" Amalthea stuck out her tongue at her uncle, shutting the front door. 

Yeah, the drive was definitely going to be awkward.


	7. six - amalthea vs the tour guide

Turns out being stuck in a car with a cousin that you don't know at all is super uncomfortable. 

The drive was silent, apart from the noise of tires hitting puddles left from the rain storm hours before. Music wasn't played; heaven forbid her cousin allow there to be noise! 

Anxiety bubbled in Amalthea's stomach, fingers twitched under her thighs as Bella passed by the sign stating Forks High School and the mascot it was represented by. 

Finding a parking spot in the middle of the lot, Bella wished her cousin a good luck and left the car to find her friends. 

Amalthea's jaw dropped, what the hell! 

She did not just leave me here! Thea thought. What the fuck! 

The ebonette began panicking, heart pounding like a drum and eyes widening when she heard a bell dinging from inside the school. Attempting to calm down her very stressed out thoughts and slow her breathing back to a normal pace, Thea picked her bag off the floor and opened the trucks rusted door. 

Hope she knows I'm not locking her ugly ass trucks door after that shit! The teen was thinking as she rolled her eyes and stepped out of the vehicle, water splashing onto her boots. 

Entering the school doors and navigating her way through the pubescent teenagers, Amalthea found the schools designated office. Dramatically swinging the door open and heaving a heavy breath, the girl sped walked to the lady sitting at the reception desk. 

"Hey, I'm uh- I'm new here. The name's Amalthea Swan, my uncle said he came here the other day to enroll me." 

The old woman hummed along with what the short teenager in front of her was saying-- of course she heard of Amalthea. She seemed to be the town's means of gossip as of late - being the second new person in who knows how long to enter the town, the idea of living there on their mind. 

The aged, gray haired woman found the schedule that was printed earlier that morning for the junior and handed it over. 

"Here dear, this is your schedule. We got someone to show you to and from your classes. Thankfully, he's in all of the same ones. Maybe you'll become friends!" The receptionist chuckled, gesturing for Thea to take a seat. 

Not two minutes later a tall, muscular teenage boy walked through the entrance of the office and toward the lady working the front desk. 

"Ms. Gregg! How're you doing this fine morning?" He smiled widely. 

"Mr. Uley, you were supposed to be here ages ago! You're showing Miss. Swan here around today, or did you forget?" 

Hearing her surname, Amalthea looked up from her schedule to find a tan teenage boy who sported short, black curly hair. 

Following the arm that pointed out Thea, the boy walked up to the pale girl. 

"Hey! I'm Trevor Uley; I'll be your tour guide. We'll see places such as the smelly gym and boring classrooms with even more boring teachers. You'll love it!" 

"Amalthea Swan. Pleasure to meet you." The teen stood to her feet, ready to get this day over with.

"Pleasures all mine! Let's go to first period, which is Biology by the way. I really want to nap before Mr. Scott begins talking with his boring voice. Also, really got to warn you-- there is no teacher here who isn't boring." 

Thea snorted, softly shoving Trevor's broad shoulder toward the door and waving a goodbye to Ms. Gregg, who was glaring at the boy next to her. 

Smiling a pearly smile, Trevor followed after Amalthea. 

"Young grasshopper! You're walking the wrong way, silly! It's this way." Trevor tossed his arm over Thea's shoulders in a joking manner, moving them from one side of the hall to the other, not changing the course of direction whatsoever. 

Thea groaned, looked Trevor in his hazel eyes and shoved his arm off of her shoulder. The girl was not in the mood to deal with teenage boys, even if they were warm enough to be a talkative human heater.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I only made up the character of Trevor as I was writing this lol.  
> Also, I wanna say that I'm going to try and update once a week. I'm a high school senior and don't really have that much time. I attempt to write 2 chapters every weekend but sometimes I'm busy or not motivated. So, sorry ahead of time if I don't follow the once a week thing lol.


	8. seven - amalthea vs high school lunch

Promising her uncle to actually pretend to enjoy herself was a mistake. A mistake that led to an abnormally tall teenage boy thinking he found a friend in the girl. Which, in his mind, they were already friends. In his words-- best friends, actually. 

Trevor Uley, within the first 2 class periods they spent together, knew he was going to break this girls shell and show her some fun. Whether she liked it or not! Trevor has quite the reputation in Forks High School. Having slept with a handful of students, rumors spread and stuck like molasses. Trevor Uley was the boy to go to if you were looking for a fun time. 

Amalthea was most certainly not looking for a fun time, let alone a friend. Friends took too much time, they learn things about you and use them against you later on when you piss them off. 

That was a lesson learned early on. When her fellow fourth grade friend gossiped to the popular kids that her mother killed herself to get away from her weirdo daughter and had a loony for a husband, 10 year old Thea knew she was not made for having friends. 

People suck and there was no way Trevor Uley was going to change that. Absolutely not, Amalthea thought. 

"'Mal! Over here! I know you see me, stop pretending you can't! Amalthea Swan-- I swear to Zeus, come here! Sit with me, new best friend. C'mere!" Trevor Uley yelled across the cafeteria, gaining the attention of the entire room. Students looked between Trevor and the new girl, wondering what was going on between the two. 

After seeing her cousin break the eye contact they made seconds before, Amalthea rolled her eyes and huffed her way to the Uley boy-- who broke into a very wide smile. 

"Oh thank god, I thought I was going to have to drag you over here." Trevor said in relief, wiping fake sweat off of his arched eyebrow. The blond haired boy next to him was cackling at his friends comments, clutching at his stomach. 

"You're an idiot and I hate you, Uley." 

"'Mal, lying is a sin. Also, stop bullying me," He pouted, "it's mean!" 

"What the fuck is a 'Mal? Certainly not me, that's for sure." The girl said with a straight face, finally sitting across from the two boys. 

"A nickname, genius! You'll grow to love it, I guarantee it. Everybody gets a nickname from Trevor Uley. It's my thing." 

"Bud, you're known for other things. Not that." The blond next to Trevor snorted, wiping hair away from his green eyes. 

Having already heard the rumors about Uley, Amalthea watched in amusement as Trevor threw his hand over the right side of his chest in shock, forgetting his heart is not on that side of his body.

"Jackson! How dare you! Other things is totally not what I'm known for. Ask anyone, my good pal, they'll tell you their nickname." He nodded in justification, digging into his fruit cup. 

Jackson hummed, pretending to go along with what his friend was saying, turning to the pale girl sat in front of them. 

"Hi," he smiled charmingly, "I'm Jackson. Best soccer player this towns ever seen, gossip fiend, and the only person who has enough patience to deal with Trevor here." 

Thea opened her bag of chips, "I'm Amalthea, call me that. 'Mal is a stupid ass nickname,"--Trevor shouted a "hey!" before receiving her glare and returning to his food-- "You got a Uley nickname? Or, do I gotta kill him for thinking he can give me one?" 

"Sadly, yes. I do and it's terrible. He calls me 'Son. The Jack was right there, yet he decided to stick with 'Son. It is miserable! Quite humiliating when he screams it at games. Welcome to the club. By the way, no-- it doesn't get better." Jackson sighed in defeat, ignoring the brunette complaining next to him. 

Thea chewed on her bag of chips, sniggering at the duo of idiots in front of her. Having heard the two boys begin to argue about whether or not Jackson should let Trevor copy his homework answers - "I'm your best friend, Jackson! It's in the friend book of law that you have to share your smartness! -, Amalthea looked around the lunch room. 

Seeing Bella staring at an empty table, the teen raised her eyebrows. Why was she staring at a random empty table?

Does she want to ditch her friends so bad that she's staring at a barren table? Amalthea thought, amused by her own thoughts. 

Trevor saw what she was looking at, "Oh shit, yeah, you guys are related, right? What're you and Bella? Cousins?", he gasped dramatically in discovery, "Oh my god are you her long lost sister who was recently discovered?" 

"Very funny. We're cousins, genius. Her dads my uncle." The girl rolled her eyes, looking away from Bella and to the boy in annoyance. 

Having seen Amalthea's curious eyes flickering back and forth from her cousin to the boys, Jackson leaned in and spoke up, "That's where the Cullens sat, by the way. They left school a couple months ago. Your cousin was, I don't wanna be mean, but like she was a mess. Moped around and would sit at that table by herself. Well, that's until a switch flipped and she became cool with her little group again." 

"Huh," Thea squinted her eyebrows, "I heard the Cullen boy, Edgar I think it was, was a bit of a dick. My uncle isn't too happy with him." 

Jackson's face turned pink from withholding laughter, Trevor unashamedly choked on his milk.

"Ah, yes. Edgar Cullen - my favorite one of the bunch!" 

"My dear 'Mal, you're so funny and don't even know it." 

"Trust me. I know it, Uley."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit hi its been a minute. I was in a pretty bad depressive episode and writing was hard as hell for some reason. Im gonna try my best to write this weekend! Thank u for sticking around!


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